Disclosure of foreign secretary raises eyebrows
Posted on August 31st, 2020
S. AKURUGODA
According to the disclosure of Foreign Secretary Admiral Jayanath Colombage to the media, the government is to appoint one time Minister Milinda Moragoda, as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner of Cabinet rank to India and, once such status is afforded, Mr. Moragoda will be able to interact with the leaders of both the countries directly without the procedure of going through the respective foreign ministries.
Meanwhile, considering the recorded background and chequered history of the person involved, social media have started to raise questions on the government’s intermediaries connected to Moragoda and his Pathfinder outfit.
Moragoda, founder of Pathfinder Foundation, served in Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Cabinet from 2002 to 2004. We are fully aware of his close connections with the LTTE hierarchy including Anton Balasingham, Norwegian Solheim etc and the key role played by him to make infamous Ranil-Prabhakaran CFA a success. (www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=7222) It would be advisable for the government to revisit to that era, for a moment, and see what would have been the disastrous situation of the country today if Moragoda was successful in his endeavor.
Mr. and Mrs. Anton Balasingham with State Secretary of Norway, Vidar Helgesen and Sri Lanka’s Minister, Milinda Moragoda (right) (Photo: Jorn Tomter)
Although we are aware of the background and what he did in the past since 2002, his links to the USA, and allegations of corruption etc after going through media reports, the easiest way to convince information, acceptable to many, is to refer to Wikipedia.
US Government interest and the services rendered by Moragoda are stated as follows.
US Embassy cables released by WikiLeaks show Moragoda to be a long time information source of the US Embassy in Colombo. The cables also state the US Government’s interest in Moragoda as their key partner in Sri Lanka.”
Writing to Washington in 2003, then US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Ashley Wills says of Moragoda:
[Regarding] the U.S., the intelligent, articulate Moragoda is a perfect fit. born in Washington, D.C, he is a dual national Amcit (please protect) married to an American, with plenty of Washington connections, many from his days as a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation and at Harvard. A “big picture” person, Moragoda is also highly aware that the U.S. is the most powerful country in the world, and he feels that it is better that Sri Lanka recognize that fact and work within it.
Under the introduction and ‘allegations of corruption’ sections, Wikipedia states;
In 2007 the Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) accused then opposition parliamentarian Moragoda of large scale corruption during his time as a UNP minister. In a bid to dodge prosecution Moragoda crossed over to the ruling UPFA government and was appointed Minister of Justice and Law Reform.
Currently dual citizenship is a bar to enter the Parliament as an MP or to be a President of the country. It looks like our politicos who are critics of appointing a Central Bank Governor with Singapore citizenship, during the previous government, haven’t learned a lesson from the past. Thus appointing a person with dual citizenship with past records of above nature as a High Commissioner of Cabinet rank” is highly questionable.
August 31st, 2020 at 4:19 pm
Moragoda is bad choice for this position. I don’t what the government is thinking. He is a poodle of US. He never goes against US if any policy dangerous to Sri Lanka. People must protest for this appointment. I hope president will come out and explain this to people. Wimal can ask president for explanation.
August 31st, 2020 at 10:03 pm
This is nothing but another phase of the MCC project which will surely be a dream. This country (US) most of which might have been bare land in 1847 as described in his famous song by a Buddhist singer ( the link given below) seems to have gone a full circle and now looking for safe havens elsewhere. Together with local petty thieves they seem to be poised for a mass scramble for land here. Covid has given them a death blow and are running away from cities while our fools are planning for mega cities. They will all meet their maker without a penny in their hands at the end, as sung by Dan Fogelburg.
Please enjoy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERjoXJ1rLuc
September 1st, 2020 at 2:36 am
I see the President suffering from a problem of not being able to find the correct personnel for a job that requires much experience, political maturity and diplomatic skill. The country knows President Gotabhaya has the best interests of his Motherland at heart. The country has heaped much trust on him at this juncture in time, it is unthinkable to think he will falter in his duty.
The ways and means at the disposal of Big Powers are enormous. Everything depends Gotoabya leading from the front and getting all his diploatic staff in important countries pulling their weight to achieve what is best for Sri Lanka.
However at the moement it looks as if a coterie of interested parties have ‘ring circled’ him with the intention of making Gotabhaya unpopular in the shortest time. His intelligence sources should indicate who should be in his ‘inner circle’ and who shouldn’t!
We need patriots who can articulate Sri Lanka’s current political dispensation to the outside world diplomatically and find solutions that is good for Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans for the longhaul.
This does not mean he has to use people who have proven time and again to be inimical to the interests and wellbeing of Sri Lanka, subservient to outside forces and known to be patently corrupt.
September 1st, 2020 at 11:53 am
Appointing Admiral Jayantha Kolombage as the Foreign Secretary itself is questionable. What credentials Moragoda has to be Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India perhaps only the President knows or is it only the Admiral who knows ? Milinda Moragoda in a peoples government for which the ordinary people mostly in the outskirs of the country have voted, is like a round ball in a square hole . He does not fit in. We may as well appoint Ranil Wicramasinghe ? For me Palith Kohona is more acceptable to represent Sri Lanka.Why have the SLPP MPs raised no objections ? Because the President has proposed it, it is not necessary to accept it.
September 1st, 2020 at 3:44 pm
I see the President suffering from a problem of not being able to find the correct personnel for a job that requires much experience, political maturity and diplomatic skill. The country knows President Gotabhaya has the best interests of his Motherland at heart. The country has heaped much trust on him at this juncture in time and it is unthinkable to think he will falter in his duty.
Surely he is getting the wrong advice at this stage from a coterie of interested parties who has ‘ring circled’ him and want to make President Gotabhaya unpopular in the shortest possible time. His intelligence sources should indicate who should be in his ‘inner circle’ and who shouldn’t!
We need patriots who can articulate Sri Lanka’s current political dispensation to the outside world diplomatically and find solutions that is good for Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans for the longhaul.
This does not mean he has to use people who have proven time and again to be inimical to the interests and wellbeing of Sri Lanka, subservient to outside forces and known to be patently corrupt. Self serving Moragoda and Dayan are such people!
September 1st, 2020 at 3:55 pm
Yes, Palitha Kohona is one such experienced diplomat, well educated versed in the skills of international diplomacy aNot nd the interests of Sri Lanka at heart. Not Austin Fernando.
India and Sri Lanka faces similar threats from the outside world. These include the Islamic threat to Buddhism and Hinduism and threats to balkanize our two countries. For the Western Christian Powers, balkanization of Sri Lanka is the stepping stone to do the same in India! Together Sri Lanka and India can achieve much and this must be emphasized to India. Western Christian Powers has only “Karapincha” use for Sri Lanka – to be used and discardes at their will and pleasure.
September 2nd, 2020 at 5:42 am
Not Austin Fernando at any cost. He was the one who put the Sri Lanka Army and the terrorists on the same footing by getting the LTTE to don uniforms and have military grades.